The Sound of Water
by Eowyn
Summary: A rainy night in december... it's Akira's birthday. Please read and review :) [One-shot]


I don't like disclaimers... just mentioning that this is Shonen-Ai for those that hate that kind of thing. It was a challenge with five items that you had to combine into a fanfiction. I wonder if you can find them :)  
  
The Sound of Water  
  
Rain was falling on this day in December. Touya Akira stood under the roof of the ki-in and tried to decide if he should take a taxi or run to the subway. The sun had set hours ago and the streets were quiet. Today was his birthday.  
  
Akira was used to being alone. He never liked it when his father tried to arrange a party for him. But this was the first time that he had spent his birthday alone. His parents had left for Taiwan months ago and hadn't returned yet. So he had decided to spent the day quietly, studying kifus at the go institute.  
  
The water kept dripping off the roof but the rain had given up its seemingly endless pounding for the day. Akira stepped out into the street and headed towards the subway. When he reached the corner he turned right instead of left and followed the long street towards his home. There was no one waiting for him, he would walk home. The fresh air would revive him after countless hours spend in a room without windows, looking through dusty papers written by people long dead. It would be a long walk and a cold one. He tried not to call it lonely...  
  
After an hour or more he reached the neon lights of Shibuya. He ignored his grumbling stomach as he went by a takoyaki stand but entered a convenience store. His fingers were frozen and blue from the cold. With shaking hands he reached out for a hot milk tea and went to the register. He suddenly remembered that he had run out of soy sauce and went into the back of the store to get a bottle. He passed a shelf full of manga magazines. Something made him stop. He looked at the colorful covers and remembered when he had been in a conbini with Shindou... Shindou Hikaru, his rival and... friend. That time Shindou had grabbed one of the magazines and started reading it in the store. Akira had to forcefully drag him out after fifteen minutes.  
  
This was not the time.  
  
Akira finally found a bottle of soy sauce and paid. The warm tea can eased the pain in his fingers and soon enough he was walking briskly toward his home. He passed the love hotel district with all its blinding "Adults Only" neon signs. He blinked for a second when he passed a bar called "The Pink Hipopotamus", wondering about the person who had chosen such a strange name. He wasn't far from home anymore, but he had never before been here before.  
  
The rain returned with renewed strength.  
  
Shivering from the cold Akira began to run.  
  
It wasn't far now.  
  
Only one more block.  
  
A black figure with a shining white umbrella stood in front of his house. A row of coffee cans lined the gate to its feet.  
  
"Shindou? Is that you? What are you doing here at a time like this?!"  
  
The figure turned to look at him and a great feeling of relieve appeared on Shindou's face. The boy dropped the umbrella, crossed the distance between them in a few steps and forcefully embraced Akira. The smell of almond oil enveloped Akira's senses.  
  
"Where have you been? I was worried! I looked for you everywhere! No one knew where you disappeared to, you baka!"  
  
Akira pushed his concerned friend away. "Baka? You're the one who waited outside my house for... what, hours? Look at yourself! You're frozen solid!"  
  
"You're one to talk, you didn't even have an umbrella!" came the forceful reply.  
  
Silence covered them both. Only the sound of raindrops falling on concrete echoed through the street.  
  
"Come in before we both freeze to death. And don't forget your umbrella."  
  
Akira opened the gate and soon enough they enjoyed the warmth of a kotatsu and hot tea. Akira had changed into a dark brown yukata and his wet clothes where hanging in the room next door. The dripping sound of water combined with the rain outside.  
  
"So what brings you here at that time of the day? And why were you looking for me? We're supposed to meet tomorrow."  
  
Shindou looked at his watch and his expression changed to one of dismay. "You made me miss it."  
  
"Miss what?"  
  
"Your birthday, baka!" He showed him the display of his watch. The green numbers glowed eerily. It was five minutes past midnight.  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't know that you wanted to see me..."  
  
Shindou gave him a stare and then shoved a small package across the table.  
  
"Here, open it!"  
  
The wrapping was a glaring orange and without taste. There was no denying it... Shindou had bought it himself. Akira started to slowly untie the bows, but when he met Shindou's impatient stare he decided to rip them instead. White material appeared within the orange wrapping. It was soft to the touch.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Well, take it out and you'll see, baka!"  
  
"Stop calling me baka!"  
  
Shindou just glared.  
  
The wrapping fell to the ground and a white kimono with kifu came free. It was obviously custom made. Akira was sure that he had never seen such a thing before.  
  
"Look at the kifu," Shindou ordered.  
  
Akira looked at the black and white patterns and suddenly realization hit him.  
  
"These are games that we played!"  
  
A grin appeared on Shindou's face as he proclaimed "Happy Birthday, Touya!"  
  
Starring at the white kimono tears appeared in Akira's eyes without his noticing. They flowed freely and dropped onto the material between his hands. He smelled the fragrance of almond oil and felt Shindou's arms embrace him from behind. His warm breath tickled his neck.  
  
"I'm here," he simply said, "Don't cry, I'm here." Warm lips touched his neck and send an unknown feeling down his spine. Akira turned around and answered Hikaru's kiss.  
  
No, he wasn't alone anymore... 


End file.
